A group of over 100 artists, writers and critics have signed an open letter condemning Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “We reject Trump’s collusion with such racist manipulation and his disregard for international law,” the letter reads. “We deplore his readiness to crown the Israeli military conquest of East Jerusalem and his indifference to Palestinian rights.” Read More »

Spanish law enforcement has seized a selection of paintings and artifacts from the Lleida Museum in Catalonia this week, continuing fierce tensions in the region over Catalonia’s attempted independence from Spain. “Aragonese authorities have a great interest in recovering pieces in Catalan museums, but have no desire to recover other objects from Sijena that are, for instance, in the Prado in Madrid,” says Santi Vila, Catalonia’s former cultural minister. “Why? For political reasons.” Read More »

A conflicting report in the Wall Street Journal notes that the buyer of the da Vinci piece last month at Christie’s is actually Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, noting that another prince served as a proxy buyer for the work. The news comes as the Louvre Abu Dhabi has claimed that it will be showing the piece in its museum. Read More »